Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Buddha Bowls

Recently, I’ve just been absolutely loving big bowls or big salads with tons of flavors, ingredients, and textures. When you mix everything up, the different components combine to make such tasty bites. This Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Buddha Bowl was no exception. It was packed with different textures, and the sweetness and heat were so well balanced.

There are obviously a lot of ingredients needed for this recipe, but you can actually prepare most everything ahead of time. I made my quinoa the day before, and I prepared the dressing and chopped up the pineapple, red pepper, and red cabbage earlier in the day. I love finding ways to shorten the actual prep time immediately before dinner (or whenever you’re serving) because I don’t like to feel rushed in the kitchen. I find cooking to be a very relaxing activity, so I’m always looking for ways to keep it that way!

Enjoy!!

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

1¾ cups water

3 cups (packed) kale, massaged

2 cups bean sprouts

1 cup carrot, shredded

2 cups pineapple, sliced

1 cup red pepper, sliced

1 cup red cabbage, sliced

1 lb cooked chicken (see below)

1 cup sweet chili dressing (see below)

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

¼ cup green onions, sliced

2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

For the Sweet Chili Chicken:

1 tablespoon oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

Salt and Pepper to taste

½ cup sweet chili sauce

1 tsp fish sauce (optional)

1 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

For the Dressing:

½ cup sweet chili sauce

¼ cup coconut milk (or water)

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp lime juice (~1 lime)

1 Tbsp peanut butter

2 cloves garlic, grated

2 tsp ginger, grated

1 tsp sesame oil

Click here for the full recipe details for the Buddha Bowls, here for the Sweet Chili Chicken, and here for the Sweet Chili Dressing.